"Ho..He..Hello! In..In..Inch in a Pinch here! WOW!! It sure is
c..c..c..cold here! This is Antartica, the coldest place on earth. It's been
known to get to -129 degrees Fahrenheit here! The continent of Antarctica offers
a habitat all its own. I'm going to let Penny in Peril take over while I look
for something warm to wear - snow boots (my feet are freezing and I've got a
lot of feet to freeze!!), a warm parka, and a ski mask. I sure hope you dressed
for the weather. Penny in Peril is an Adelie penguin and she actually lives in
the fr..fr..fr..freezing place! Anyway, here's Penny...

Penny In Peril

"Hi! One of the things I've
learned living here in
Antarctica - if you move, you stay warm! So, if you don't mind I'm going to
dance while we talk. Maybe you'd like to join me? Did you know that Antarctica
is the highest, driest, coldest and windiest continent on earth? Our first
order of business is for you to learn about this frigid habitat. I'll be
waiting when you're finished. Remember, keep moving and stay
warm!"

Description

Antarctica Sunset

Antarctica is a large
land mass buried under a vast ice cap up to 6.5 miles (4 km) thick in places.
Antarcticas total area is approximately 7 million square miles in summer,
but doubles in size in the winter due to the large amount of sea ice, which
forms its periphery. In winter, the sea ice around Antarctica grows at the rate
of 40,000 square miles a day! The weight of this ice cap is so heavy that much
of the ground below is pressed down below sea-level! The polar ice cap around
the South Pole advances about 33 feet annually!

Antarctica is the fifth
largest of the earths seven continents. It surrounds the South Pole and
is circular in shape with a long arm, the Antarctic Peninsula, reaching out
toward South America.

There is a complete lack
of haze in Antarctica due to the cold, dry climate and dust-free air! Many
explorers have discovered - at at very high personal price - distant objects
seem close and mirages are common. Raging blizzards often occur when winds pick
up previously deposited snow and move it from place to place.

Antarctica has no native
population. There are, however, about 4,000 people who live on and study the
Antarctic continent during the summer months (December through
March).

The longest day of the
year in Antarctica lasts almost three months! The sun just circles in the sky
for approximately four months from early October until early February. The
longest night is just the reverse. During austral winter, it will stay dark for
over four months at a time!

Antarctica receives
about the same amount of precipitation as the Sahara Desert. Average
temperatures never go above 32° Fahrenheit (the freezing point of water)
thus snowfall virtually never melts!

The strong winds of Antarctica
combine with heavy coastal snowfall to produce a very dramatic landscape. Polar
regions are important because their cold waters affect the climate of the whole
earth.

Antarctic Landscape

Computer
Simulated Movie

The only river
of any size in Antarctica is the Onyx River, which flows inland twenty miles
and replenishes Lake Vanda, one of the few lakes on Antarctica. Despite
containing 70% of the world's freshwater, much of Antarctica is a desert!

Antarctica consists of
two main areas - East Antarctica lying in the eastern hemisphere and West
Antarctica, lying in the western hemisphere. These two areas are separated by
the Trans antarctic Mountains.

Three climatic regions
can be distinguished in Antarctica:1. The
interior regionhas extreme cold and light snowfall.2. The coastal areas have somewhat milder
temperatures and higher precipitation rates.3. The Antarctic Peninsula is characterized by a warmer
and wetter climate, where above-freezing temperatures are common.

Antarctica is a land of
incredible experiences found nowhere else on earth! Because of the uniqueness
of this frozen habitat, it also needs special and unique words to describe it.
Check out a sampling of this "Antarctic
Dictionary".

"Pretty awesome place,huh? Inch asked me to show you the plants and
animals that live here. There are only a few plants that can survive the
extreme cold of Antartica. Animals have to have special adaptations for keeping
warm. Not everything that lives here is as good a dancer as I am! Take a look at
them and we'll continue the tour when you get back."

"Isn't it
incredible that these animals can survive here
in Antarctica? My home, the Antarctic, is in danger of being lost forever! You
can help out, but first you need to know why it's endangered. Below is a list
of the things that are putting Antarctica in peril. They are also putting my
life in peril because if Antarctica goes, so do I. Look them over and if you
don't understand them please me and ask. I'll catch you on the other end."

Reasons for Loss
of Habitat

One of the most serious
threats hanging over Antarctica is the prospect of the exploitation of its oil
and minerals, if commercial deposits are found underground or beneath the sea.
There would be risk of oil spills, pollution and an increase of human
occupation of the few ice-free areas.

The earth's protective
atmospheric layer, called the Ozone, is gradually being depleted, resulting in
a gradual melting of Antarctica's ice sheets. If ice sheets were to melt, the
world's ocean would rise as much as 200 to 210 feet. The size of the hole, in
the Ozone layer, has steadily increased and in 1987 the layer was half as thick
as at the same time of year in 1970. Over the last half century, coastal ice on
the Antarctic Peninsula has been gradually disappearing.

Tourism in Antarctica is
steadily increasing. If an influx of tourists were to occur, fragile vegetation
would easily be destroyed. Nesting and breeding grounds would also be
disrupted. Tourism would unwittingly spread bird and plant diseases and
introduce new kinds of organisms to the Antarctic.

Penguins have suffered
greatly at the hands of humans. Great numbers have been slaughtered for their
blubber and now also their skins.

Several seal species are
close to extinction due to trade in sealskins from as early a time as the
1820's. In the 1900's, fur seals had been almost wiped out by sealing. Many are
now protected under the ESA (Endangered Species Act), but some seal populations
are so depleted that recovery will be difficult at best.

As a result of human
hunting, Antarctic baleen whales reached their lowest population level by the
late 1950's. These, too, struggle to regain some measure of safety from
extinction.

In 1989, the Antarctic
supply ship, Bahaia Paraiso, sank in the Bismarck Strait and spilled diesel oil
and gasoline into the sea. In polar conditions, oil breaks down 100 times more
slowly than in temperate waters.

Cores of ice taken from
glaciers in the Antarctic show rising levels of carbon dioxide since the
Industrial Revolution. With more people working in Antarctica, it is vulnerable
to more direct forms of pollution, particularly from oil.

DDT was also a chemical
found in Antarctic waters. It was never used in Antarctica, but has spread
there from the rest of the world.

"I have one last job to do before I
go. All this dancing has made me hungry and I want to get something to eat!
There are some things you can do to help prevent the Antarctic from
disappearing. Please start doing these things right away because if Antarctica is
lost, the entire climate of the earth could change. Every plant and animal on
earth, as well as, in the Antarctic habitat is depending on
you!"

What Needs To Be
Done

Drilling for oil and gas
from Antarctica should be prohibited! In order to insure that this happens,
"pro environment" candidates must be voted into office, replacing government
officials who diligently work against wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Do not use aerosols or
plastic foams containing chlorofluoro carbons, (CFCs), such as the cooling
agent, Freon, in refrigerators and air conditioners. The CFC's are causing an
increase in the size of the hole in the ozone layer and a thinning of the ozone
itself. These chemicals take at least 100 years to break down in the
atmosphere. That is a long, long time!

Tourism is not
necessarily a bad thing. If it is managed in such a manner as to benefit the
land and its wildlife inhabitants, it can be a good thing. Before booking a
vacation to Antarctica or any other fragile habitat area, thoroughly
investigate the company organizing the tour. Tour only with reputable
organizations (some wildlife organizations offer guided tours of various
wildlife areas).

It seems that, just in
the nick of time, more people on this planet are becoming aware of how
destructive overuse and over hunting can be to the plant and animal species of
this world. A big part of this awareness is coming about through education.
Become an environmental educator. Learn all you can about Antarctica and teach
others what you know!

The more we drive our
cars, the more petroleum products we will need. This means more drilling and
more oil tankers transporting these petroleum products back and forth across
the globe. The increase intrastate increases the risk of more oil
spills in our oceans. Cut down on how much you drive! Carpool whenever
possible. Bike to work or to the store. The best solution of all is to walk! By
walking, you cut down the use of gasoline and its pollutants and also the need
for rubber used in the manufacture of tires.

Carbon dioxide is a
pollutant generated by gasoline powered engines' exhaust. Read the previous
suggestion to know what to do about car exhaust. Gasoline powered lawn mowers
contribute to the production of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. If
you have lawn to mow, consider using a push mower, instead of a gasoline
powered lawn mower. Plant less lawn. Lawn does not make good wildlife habitat.
Investigate enriching your yard.

Although the use
of DDT has been banned for a number of years in the United States, the
production of DDT continues in the US. Write, email, and phone your
state representatives and senators to let them know you will not support their
next campaign if they do not support the discontinued production of this deadly
chemical!

"Oh, Oh! I almost
forgot. There's a picture of some Adelie penguins for you to color, if you'd like to. Boy, am I hungry! Fish, do you like fish? It's my absolute Alabama! Come back and visit again! Thanks for being interested enough to care what happens to the Antarctic habitat area."

"Thank you, Penny in Peril! Isn't
she a real go getter? If I danced as much as she does, maybe I could lose those
few extra pounds that have managed to find me. Better yet, why don't you and I
get started doing some of the things Penny suggested? I'll bet we could stay
healthier AND help the Antarctic habitat area."